Abby Anderson, 21, stopped by the Nash campus last week to chat with Elaina Smith for her Women Want to Hear Women podcast (you can listen here).
One of the podcast’s segments—“Play It Forward”—beckons the featured artist to perform a song from another female’s catalog.
For her Play It Forward, Abby covered Trisha Yearwood’s “Walkaway Joe,” a tune Trisha took to No. 2 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1992.
Watch Abby’s performance below.
By Jimmy Hyams
Folks that set the lines in Las Vegas make a lot of money, make no mistake.
But if you think their spreads are pin-point accurate, think again.
I’ve been convinced for years that odds-makers in Vegas don’t have any better idea of the final margin in a college football game than many of us fans.
The first two weeks of the season, I took the pregame.com line listed in the local paper and compared it to the final scores. If the spread was within 7 points and the correct winner was picked, then that was a win for Vegas.
The first week of the season, counting just FBS teams, pregame.com was 10-22 given my parameters, with four double-digit favorites losing.
But that was Week One, when no one knows for sure just what each team has. Opening weekend can be the toughest to forecast.
So I did the same thing for Week 2. The results: 11-33 with four double-digit favorites losing (Florida, Arkansas, Purdue, North Carolina). Six times, the spread wasn’t within 20 points of the final score. And 14 times, the favorite lost.
This is not to suggest you can cash in against Vegas lines, but it does suggest how hard it is to pick college football games. And it makes me feel better when I make my picks.
Before I get to my picks, 14 observations:
Here is a thumbnail recap of last week:
Hit or near hits: We picked Alabama 47-7 over Arkansas State, the Tide won 57-7. … We had Clemson over Texas A&M 23-17, final was 28-26. … We forgot to mention our pick of Ole Miss 47-27 over Southern Illinois was just for the first half; the Rebels romped 76-41. … We picked LSU by 34 over Southeastern Louisiana, the Tigers won by 31. … We picked Auburn to win by 47 over Alabama State, Tigers won by 54. … We picked Missouri by 28 over Wyoming, the fighting Derek Dooleys won by 27.
The misses:
Colorado upset Arkansas, which blew a 27-9 third-quarter lead. … Kentucky (a 13-point underdog) upset Florida to snap a 31-game losing skid to the Gators. … We picked the Vols to score 40 against ETSU; we failed to figure in basically three non-offensive touchdowns in a 59-3 romp. … We picked Georgia 27-24 over South Carolina, Dawgs won 41-17. … We picked Vanderbilt by 7 over Nevada, Dores won by 31. Vandy athletic director David Williams was so stunned, he resigned.
Last week: 10-2
Overall 23-3
SEC Picks
Kentucky 40-10 over Murray State
Notre Dame 27-17 over Vanderbilt
Auburn 23-17 over LSU
Arkansas 30-27 over North Texas
Florida 37-30 over Colorado State
Alabama 52-30 over Ole Miss
Georgia 47-7 over MTSU
Mississippi State 44-20 over Louisiana-Lafayette
Missouri 30-20 over Purdue
Texas A&M 38-20 over Louisiana-Monroe
Tennessee 44-13 over UTEP
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
Good news regarding Gretchen Wilson’s legal woes.
After an on-flight incident aboard American Airlines on Aug. 21, the “Redneck Woman” singer was arrested for “breach of peace” when she caused a disturbance at the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn.
Gretchen was back in a Connecticut court on Sept. 13 to settle the case with a $500 charitable contribution to the criminal injuries compensation, a court charity.
“This has been incredibly trying for me in many ways,” said Gretchen to NBC Connecticut News. “I’m a person like everyone else and we’ve all had bad days. It’s just that celebrities are kind of targeted when they have one.”
photo by Jason Simanek
Carrie Underwood is making the media rounds in support of her new album, Cry Pretty, which dropped on Sept. 14.
Last night (Sept. 13), Carrie was a guest—and performed—on The Tonight Show as Jimmy Fallon hosted the program from Central Park in front of 1,500 fans.
During her sit-down chat with Jimmy, Carrie revealed the details behind the illness that forced her to cancel two shows in England on Sept. 8 and 9.
“I don’t cancel shows—I will drag myself onto the stage and perform if I have the flu or whatever,” Carrie told Jimmy. “In the UK, we had to cancel a couple of shows. Basically, I got a viral thing and I woke up and I had vertigo and I could not stand up and it was crazy. I ended up in a German hospital for three days.”
Carrie, who is a vegetarian, quipped that the only German phrase she learned was “no meat, please.”
After the chat, Carrie performed the television debut of her new single, “Love Wins,” which you can watch below, as well as her sit-down chat with Jimmy.
photo courtesy of Andrew Lipovsky/NBC
Alan Jackson’s son-in-law, Ben Selecman, 28, died on Sept. 12 after suffering “severe injuries during a boating accident,” according to the Nashville District Attorney’s Office, where Ben was an assistant DA.
WSMV-TV reporter Jimmy Carter reported the news via Facebook.
The Davidson Country DA issued the following statement: “The District Attorney’s Office is saddened to announce the passing of Assistant DA Ben Selecman. General Selecman suffered severe injuries during a boating accident and passed away on September 12. He was 28-years-old. District Attorney Glenn Funk said the DA’s Office is thankful for every day that Ben had the opportunity to serve the people of Davidson County. Our prayers are with Ben’s family. He will be truly missed.”
Ben married Alan’s oldest daughter, Mattie, in October 2017.
The wedding was chronicled by Southern Bride, with Mattie telling the outlet: “Ben will tell you we first met at a mutual friend’s wedding, but I just remember dancing with a cute guy and never thinking about him after. We reconnected 2 years later while he spent a summer clerking for a judge in Nashville during law school. He asked me out and I said no, but he didn’t give up. Three months later, he called. I finally relented, so he drove almost 4 hours just for dinner and we’ve talked every day since. He pursued me until I finally saw the handsome, outgoing, Godly guy I needed. After deciding we were meant for forever, he took me on a picnic on the Old Historic Natchez Trace, where we enjoyed incredible wine, cheese, dancing and the most romantic proposal.”
We will bring you more info as it is made available.
[Content added on Sept. 14]
Alan Jackson’s official website posted news of Ben’s death, saying, in part: “Samuel Benton ‘Ben’ Selecman—husband of Mattie Jackson Selecman, son-in-law of country artist Alan Jackson—died unexpectedly Wednesday, September 12, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Selecman, a Nashville resident, had recently suffered severe traumatic head injuries in a fall. He was 28 years old.”
The Tennessean is reporting that “Ben Selecman suffered severe injuries after falling while helping a woman onto a boat in Florida.”
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
The Grand Ole Opry has joined forces with Carrie Underwood for the 10th annual Opry Goes Pink show on Oct. 26 in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Carrie will flip the switch on the Grand Ole Opry’s signature barn backdrop, turning it pink for the night as she takes the stage to perform two shows that evening. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Carrie also flipped the switch on the inaugural Opry Goes Pink show in 2009.
Carrie and the Opry have also teamed to create Cry Pretty Opry Goes Pink packages featuring Opry Goes Pink tickets, Carrie’s Cry Pretty album and a collectible print. When fans order the package or tickets, $5 from every package and ticket sold will be donated to the fight against breast cancer.
photo by Jason Simanek
Georgia natives Luke Bryan, Phillip Phillips, Cole Swindell, The Peach Pickers (Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip) and DJ Rock will host a benefit show—dubbed The Heart of South Georgia—in their home state on Oct. 3 at the Exchange Club of Albany in Albany, Ga.
Proceeds raised from the concert will be donated to The Heart of South Georgia Fund of The Community Foundation of South Georgia to support the ongoing natural disaster relief efforts as well as other needs within the community.
“My hometown is more than a place for me—it is a way of life,” says Luke. “Growing up in South Georgia has had such an impact on me in so many ways and I’m so glad that this group of amazing artists and writers are able to come back home and help those who have been hit by such devastation over the past couple of years.”
“When I was asked to be a part of this event I didn’t hesitate,” said Cole. “Even though I get to travel the country doing what I love day after day there is nothing that gives me a sense of recharging than coming back home to South Georgia and being around the people who helped get me here. Being able to give back in some small way means the world to me.”
photo by Jason Simanek
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will look to improve to 2-1 on the season this Saturday afternoon when the Volunteers host the UTEP Miners at Neyland Stadium.
Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is slated for noon ET on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and DJ Shockley (analyst) calling the action in the booth and Dawn Davenport reporting from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Brent Hubbs. Sirius (Channel 98) and XM satellite radio (Channel 190) will also carry the game.
The Vols are coming off their first win of the Jeremy Pruitt era, a 59-3 victory over ETSU in last Saturday’s home opener. Pruitt became the fifth straight UT head coach to win his home opener in his first season, as the Big Orange won their 14th consecutive game against an in-state non-conference opponent.
Five Vols Score First Collegiate Touchdown
Tennessee had five players score their first-career touchdown in Saturday’s win over ETSU (Marquill Osborne, Jeremy Banks, Darrin Kirkland Jr., Josh Palmer and Jordan Murphy). Osborne returned his own blocked punt for UT’s first touchdown of the game, Banks posted a pair of rushing touchdowns, Kirkland recorded his first-career pick-six, Palmer scored on end-around in the second quarter and Murphy caught a 50-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
Graduate transfer running back Madre London also found the endzone for the first time in a Tennessee uniform, rushing for a pair of scores. Fellow grad transfer Keller Chryst threw his first touchdown pass for UT in the fourth quarter as well.
Protecting the Ball
Tennessee has not committed a turnover through two games this season and boasts a plus-four turnover margin, which is tied for ninth nationally. The Big Orange are one of just three teams in the county that have played two or more games that have not committed a single turnover. The other two are Clemson and LSU.
Finding Ways to Score
The Vols scored a pair of non-offensive touchdowns against the Buccaneers last week. Junior defensive back Marquill Osborne blocked a punt in the first quarter and returned it eight yards for a touchdown to put UT ahead 10-0. Later in the half, redshirt junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. intercepted a pass on a tipped ball and raced 33 yards to the checkerboards to give the Vols a 31-0 lead.
The las time the Big Orange blocked a punt and had a pick-six in the same game was back on Nov. 3, 2007 in a 59-7 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Thompson Earns SEC Honors
Tennessee cornerback Bryce Thompson was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday for his standout performance against ETSU. The Irmo, South Carolina native became the fourth true freshman to start for the Vols this season and had four tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and made his first-career interception in last Saturday’s victory.
Extra Yard for Teachers
Tennessee will wear helmet stickers and take part in other initiatives on game day in support of the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers platform. The CFP supports education across the country. The Extra Yard for Teachers campaign elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers through the implementation of programs in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development.
About UTEP
The University of Texas at El Paso is led by first-year head coach Dana Dimel, who spent the previous nine seasons as the offensive coordinator at Kansas State. This is Dimel’s third head-coaching stint after spending time as the head man at Wyoming (1997-99) and Houston (2000-02). Dimel was the head coach at Wyoming in 1999 when the Vols defeated the Cowboys, 42-17, in Neyland Stadium.
The Miners are led by a dynamic playmaker at quarterback in Texas transfer Kai Locksley. The junior signal caller was named the 2017 Spalding NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year after leading Iowa Western C.C. to an 11-1 record last season. Through two games with UTEP, Locksley leads the team in passing yards (177) and rushing yards (169). Locksley rushed for 119 yards and two scores in a loss to UNLV last week.
UTEP is led by another transfer on the defensive side of the ball, as linebacker A.J. Hotchkins has tallied 21 tackles to lead the team through two games. The former Oregon Duck came to the Miners as a graduate transfer this offseason.
Saturday’s meeting between the Vols and Miners will be the third time the two programs have met on the gridiron. The last meeting between the two schools was nearly three decades ago when Tennessee blanked UTEP, 56-0, in 1990. The first time the two schools met was in 1986 with the Big Orange winning a close contest, 26-16.
UT Athletics
After introducing her Idyllwind clothing line during the 2017 holiday season, Miranda Lambert has launched the collection at Boot Barn.
According to Boot Barn, the brand is “inspired by vintage and retro looks with a modern fashion edge and a focus on comfort, fit, and quality for the everyday girl who wants to look amazing and feel good at the same time.”
The Idyllwind line, which includes apparel, accessories and cowboy boots, is now available at all 233 Boot Barn stores nationwide and online.
“Idyllwind is a true expression of my style, created for the everyday girl who is also a badass,” says Miranda. “A brand based on being who you are and being comfortable in your skin and celebrating yourself whatever your size or age. Created around comfortable, affordable, great fitting clothes and boots that I call my trusties. I am very excited to work with the Boot Barn team and continue our amazing journey to building this brand together.”
photo courtesy Boot Barn
![Jason Isbell, John Prine, Tyler Childers & More Win 2018 Americana Awards [Full List]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/09/07101747/Jason-Isbell-JS.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
The 2018 Americana Honors & Awards ceremony was held on Sept. 12 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
The star-studded event, which was hosted by the Milk Carton Kids, featured performances by Rosanne Cash, John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Margo Price and more.
Jason Isbell was the night’s big winner, earning three awards for Album, Group and Song of the Year, while Jon Prine bested the field to take home the Artist of the Year award.
The Honors & Awards ceremony is the centerpiece of AmericanaFest (Sept. 11–16), which features more than 100 artists performing at different venues throughout Nashville.
Check out all of the winners below.
Album of the Year
Artist of the Year
Duo/Group of the Year
Emerging Act of the Year
Song of the Year
Instrumentalist of the Year
This year’s special honorees induced:
photo by Jason Simanek
